


1000 Ways to Fall in Love

by im_an_octopus



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, I'm sure i'll end up adding more tags this is a work in progress, Klaus Mikaelson Has A Heart, Protective Elijah Mikaelson, everything i write is so self indulgent and i hate myself for it, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24884044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_an_octopus/pseuds/im_an_octopus
Summary: 1000 lifetimes have finally led here. To you. Always to you. {Collection of Mikaelson Brothers one-shots}
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson/Reader, Elijah Mikaelson/You, Klaus Mikaelson/Reader, Klaus Mikaelson/You, Reader/Everyone
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	1. Stop Staring and Kiss Me - Elijah

**Author's Note:**

> Hayley decides Elijah needs to stop staring at you and make a move.

“You’re staring again,” Hayley said. She was nestled comfortably in a plush armchair, legs swung over the side, head resting against an embroidered pillow. There was a sizable book in her hands. It was old and leather-bound. Something she’d plucked at random off the Mikaelsons’ bookshelf to distract herself from the fact that Klaus volunteered to take Hope for the day and was likely filling her head with god-knows-what. 

“I’m doing no such thing.”

She licked her thumb and turned the page. “Mhm.”

Elijah sat across from her with his legs crossed and a book of his own. He looked devastating, as usual, with his fresh-pressed suit and perfectly styled hair. He opted for a more casual look today—as casual as he had the ability to be—and wore his shirt slightly unbuttoned, enough so if he shifted the right way, the top of his collarbone was just visible. It didn’t go unnoticed by Hayley that this was a more regular occurrence after you made mention of liking it.

Silence. The ticking of an antique clock. And finally:

“You wanna know _how_ I know you’re staring?”

He sighed and focused his attention on her. “Enlighten me.”

“Because I haven’t heard you turn a page even once,” she paused for a beat, and shut her book. “Just go say hi. Talk about the weather. Tell her she’s doing a good job. But please do _something_.”

“Hayley, you and I both know that things are far more complicated than a simple chat about the weather.”

“So you only get to date if it’s some long-lost-ex who has magically come back from the grave? Because from what I’ve seen, you and your brother don’t have the best luck with that. Maybe it’s time to go for someone a little more…you know…modern.”

The corner of Elijah’s mouth turned up slightly.

He’d been taken with you ever since you started coming around the compound. You were a friend of Marcel’s from out of town who fell in love with New Orleans and stayed. From what he gathered you were a little less than 100 years old. Turned by one of the Salvatore brothers sometime in the 20’s—Klaus had recognized you from a speakeasy he once frequented in Chicago.

And as it turned out, you’d been quite taken with him, as well. 

“Perhaps you’re right,” he said thoughtfully. “If you’ll excuse me—”

“Just _go_ ,” Hayley grinned and shooed him away.

* * *

“I think we need to talk.”

You jumped and spun around to find Elijah just inches from your face. His head was tilted curiously to the side, and he was smiling slightly. He loved startling you.

_The shape your mouth makes when you’ve been taken off guard is quite stunning,_ he’d said once. _And the wild look in your eye…_

Elijah never did finish that sentence. You’d had him pressed against a wall as you kissed him furiously before he could. But that was the past and this was the present…the same present where he’d just said the worst thing you can possibly hear from a partner.

“Are we breaking up…?”

His hands found your hips and he chuckled. The motion brought a familiar twinkle to his eyes.

“No. The opposite, actually. I think it is time to come out from the shadows. I’ve grown weary of stolen kisses and hiding in alleys. I want to make our arrangement a bit more…traditional. If you’ll have me.”

Elijah’s words were careful and precise. They resonated deep within you. Rattled your bones. He’d never admit to you he’d been dreaming of saying them since the first time you lay panting in bed next to him.

“Elijah Mikaelson…are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”

Perhaps this was a moment to be taken more seriously. The offer of being public with an Original carried weight to it. Death and destruction followed in their path. There would be a target tattooed on your back for the rest of your days…but you were too happy to care.

“I suppose I am, in so many words,” he replied softly and kissed your forehead. “In truth, I think we haven’t been as secretive as we thought. A certain wolf picked up on our scent quite easily, so to speak.” Elijah closed his eyes and kissed your forehead again. Then the bridge of your nose. The tip. And finally your lips. “I’m grateful.”

“Yeah. We’ll have to tell her first,” you murmured against his mouth.

“Something tells me she already knows,” he replied.

As Hayley peeked out at you both, she didn’t miss the way he winked at her before kissing you again.


	2. Wasted Time - Elijah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus decides it's time you grow a spine and tell Elijah how you feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off a request sent in on tumblr.

Your coven warned you to stay away from New Orleans, but you felt you had a pilgrimage to make. The entire city was known to be bursting at the seams with magic, and you’d dreamt of going since the moment you cast your first spell. You longed to tap into that energy. Maybe even pick the brains of some of the local witches to see what they could teach you.

You also admittedly had a curiosity about the very thing you were warned about: the war. Word spread fast about the city’s chaos once the original family made their return. Vampires and werewolves and witches were battling in the shadows, right under the noses of every tourist and townie. It was fascinating, and you figured a little quiet observation wouldn’t hurt anyone. Your naivety was laughable.

Not 24 hours into your trip did you end up becoming a pawn passed back and forth between the witches and the vampires. A wildcard for every side to use—new blood in the game. It ended with your coven alienating you. They wanted no part in any of it, especially when the original family was involved, and to offer you safe harbor was to bring the bloodshed to them. The witches of New Orleans gave you a similar answer when you desperately sought refuge with them, though, theirs ended with plans to execute you. 

And then there was Elijah. Elijah who found you labeled as a traitor, about to be sacrificed. Elijah who rescued you and gave you his word that he’d keep you safe.

The living situation wasn’t ideal, and you lost the ability to move freely about the city, but over time, you came to like it. Winning over his siblings wasn’t easy, especially Klaus, but after Elijah reminded him that he was the one to drag you into this, he softened slightly.

You did your best to earn your keep, though Elijah insisted you didn’t have to. You’d happily cast spells upon request, but mostly you found yourself cooking and cleaning. It irritated Rebekah to no end when she came around.

_My brothers are over 1,000 years old, if they haven’t learned to pick up after themselves by now then they deserve to live in filth_ , she chided the first time you met. _If you must do something, make it to be that you keep to yourself. The less involved with our family you are, the better. Trust me on that._

You nodded along for her benefit, and even took her advice for a bit while she was there. But the second she left again, you were back to making cookies and disposing of bodies.

Occasionally things would quiet down. Someone would propose a flimsy peace treaty, or a faction would be forced to withdraw as they licked their wounds. It was those times that Klaus was at his most dangerous. Without the distractions of war, he had time to turn his attentions to other things…namely your friendship with Elijah. 

At first, he was relatively quiet about it. He’d shoot smug, knowing glances and take the occasional vague jab in one of your directions. But as time went on and his boredom grew, he became far more vocal about what he’d suspected since day one: you and Elijah were in love.

He was half right. You had it bad for his elder brother, and everyone knew, save for Elijah himself. Or rather—he did know and simply chose not to acknowledge it. The latter was more likely. Few were more perceptive than Elijah, and there was absolutely no way he didn’t catch you staring at him as he read or lighting up whenever he walked within six feet of you. You’d come to terms with it quickly, and decided it was probably for the better he didn’t say anything. He’d quickly become your closest friend, and you’d rather have that than nothing at all.

Klaus decided otherwise.

“Your affections for my brother are exhausting, you know,” he said one day. He was leaning against your doorframe with his arms loosely crossed, watching you change your bedsheets.

You sighed and fiddled with a pillowcase. Ignoring him had never made him go away in the past, but you could sure as hell still try.

He remained persistent. “It’s no secret you fancy our dearest Elijah, and your longing stares after him are losing their humor.”

“So you’ve caught me looking at your brother a few times. What’s the big deal?” You snapped.

Klaus clicked his tongue after finally getting the reaction he wanted out of you.

“It seems I’ve struck a nerve, little witch.”

“No, I’m just tired of having this same conversation. I don’t know what you’re hoping to get out of it. Or are you just jealous?” There was venom in your voice and Klaus looked more delighted by the second.

“You’re not my type, love, but thank you for keeping me in your thoughts,” he replied. His sarcasm made your blood boil. “A quick word of advice—my brother seldom opens his heart to others. If you _do_ choose to grow a spine and act upon your feelings…just know I’ll gladly reach down your throat and rip it right back out, should you ever hurt him.”

* * *

Klaus’s words stuck with you. They kept you up that night and well into the morning as they played in your mind over and over again. _My brother seldom opens his heart to others._ _My brother seldom opens his heart to others. My brother seldom opens his heart to others._ You knew better than to read into it. Hearts could open for friends just as much as for lovers…but could they really?

“You look conflicted.”

Elijah appeared in the kitchen with impeccable timing, as usual. You had just shoved a large spoonful of cereal in your mouth, and now your cheeks were swollen with Cheerios. A dribble of milk dripped down your chin and you nearly choked as you scrambled to wipe it away. He smiled and waited patiently for you to recover.

“What?” You finally managed. It was the first time you spoke since rolling out of bed and the sound was less than pleasant.

“You look conflicted,” he repeated, and then added “did you not sleep well?”

“Oh, no, I slept fine. Or, I guess I had a little trouble falling asleep…woke up a few times, too. But other than that, fine,” you stammered. Each word was clumsier than the next.

“Mm. Perhaps you should take it easy today. Maybe draw yourself a bath later on. You’re welcome to use the tub in my room. I expect it’s a bit nicer than yours.”

You nearly choked again. In all your fantasies and daydreams, you’d somehow never pictured him in the bath until now. Your mind’s eye was practically whirring with excitement as you envisioned him relaxed. Head leaned back. Eyes shut. Breathing deeply as one arm hung lazily over the porcelain’s edge. The other had its fingers wrapped delicately around the stem of a wine glass, filled with an unmistakable shade of deep red liquid. An empty blood bag lay crumpled and discarded on the floor. Nothing sexual. Nothing romantic. Just the wonderful idea of Elijah experiencing a rare moment of bliss.

He must have heard your heart skip a few beats. The clearing of his throat snapped you back to reality.

“Sorry! Maybe I’ll take you up on, uh, that. I’m not really feeling myself today.”

“You don’t say. What happened?”

“Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”

Elijah stayed quiet for a beat. He looked at you expectantly. Waiting for you to confirm what he already knew: you were full of shit. You pretended not to notice. You’d sit at this table, stubbornly eating the same bowl of Cheerios for an eternity before you willingly gave up the fact that he was the reason for yet another sleepless night.

“I noticed Niklaus coming from the direction of your room last night…so allow me to ask you again. _What happened?_ ” His voice was firm and his eyes were narrowed. Had you not known better, you would have almost thought he was jealous.

“Nothing! Klaus was just being Klaus, I don’t know! He stopped by, bugged me while I was trying to clean my room, then left. No conspiracies. No secret love affairs. Nothing new to report.” You chomped down on another spoonful of cereal. Everything came out harsher than you meant it to, but you had no intentions of apologizing.

“Is that so? Because if I recall the conversation I had with my brother last night as he left your room, the placement of your spine was threatened on my behalf…I suppose the question I should be asking isn’t what happened, but for how long?”

You spent so much time daydreaming about Elijah over the short course of your friendship. You pictured a life together. Maybe even an eternity, if he offered to grant it. You imagined what it would be like to feel him drink from you. The way he’d rest his hand on your waist as you drifted to sleep in a shared bed. The taste of his lips between sips of champagne on some far-off beach.

There was a part of you that felt terribly foolish. If something were to happen, it would have happened. He would have acted upon the tension he damn well knew was there. Your relationship was platonic because that was all he wanted it to be. But then there was another part of you. The same part of you that brought you down to New Orleans to begin with. That voice in the depths of your brain that kept whispering Klaus’s words: _My brother seldom opens his heart to others._

“A while,” you finally confessed. It felt anticlimactic. Of the thousands of heartfelt speeches you’d planned over the months knowing him, all you could muster was two miserable words.

“I see. And you said nothing.”

“Right.”

Unable to look at him, you grabbed your empty bowl and moved towards the sink, but only made it halfway before he was in front of you, blocking your path.

The way he studied you made you feel small and exposed, a feeling you’d experienced many times in your life, but never to this degree. His body was close to yours. You could feel his breath lightly on your skin. It rippled over every nook and cranny of your being, making your hairs stand on end. If you wanted to, you could reach out and kiss him—and you _did_ want to, badly--but you remined frozen in time, waiting for him to speak.

He never said a word.

His hand found its way to you neck, and he tangled his fingers in your hair as he kissed you. It was tender, but had an underlying fire to it that made your knees buckle. You wrapped your arms around him for support. To draw him in closer, closer, closer, _closer_ , until you had to come up for air. He allowed you to take a breath, just enough to keep your heart pounding, before kissing you again, somehow with even more fervor than before.

When it was finally done, Elijah smiled and held you against his chest. He kissed the top of your head. The side of your neck. The shell of your ear.

There was so much wasted time to make up for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super crazy about how this one turned out, but matchmaker Klaus was definitely a lot of fun to write.

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off a tumblr request I got--I'm new to writing the Mikaelsons so please let me know what you think!


End file.
